Keilor men’s basketball coach Steve Toy expects new recruits Andrew Kaban and Jacob Coleman-Bock to slot straight into his side’s starting line-up.
The pair joined the Thunder from Oakleigh in the off-season and have been highly impressive throughout pre- season.
Keilor held its own in practice matches against a number of championship division teams and also got the better of division 2 side Coburg.
“We’ve pushed ourselves to play at a higher level against those guys and have been really competitive,,” Toy said.
“We’ve competed well and we’re really happy at this stage.”
Kaban joins Keilor as a versatile player who will spend his time shifting between positions two and three.
Coleman-Bock is expected to spend a lot more time closer to the basket, playing as a number five.
Also signed by the Thunder this season are Liam Glascott and Joel Leebody, who are returning from injury layoffs.
Rounding out the additions are Joel Bellman, who moved from Melton, and Andrew Musgrove, signed from Craigieburn.
From last year’s squad, Joel Smith will not be returning after signing with SEABL side Geelong.
The Thunder has been promoted to division 1 after making finals in division 2 last year, and Toy is confident this year’s roster is even stronger.
“I think the new guys will give us a bit more maturity than last year when we had a lot of younger guys playing.
“We’ve stepped up to division 1 and we’ll need that maturity and skill level on the court.
“We’ve been hitting out with championship sides and have been pretty competitive. I’d like to think we can knock on the door for finals, if not play finals again this year.”
Keilor is also hunting long-term success.
On the back of an outstanding junior program, Toy says reaching the top Big V championship grade is a high priority.
“That’s absolutely the aim for the club,” he said.
“We have a fantastic junior program and we really believe it’s time our senior program started to match our competitiveness at junior level.
“Our junior program has been very strong for a number of years.
“It’s important that the senior players are playing at a level for the kids to aspire to.
“Championship is where we want to be.”
